Match-unloader.



W. H. PARKER.

MATCH UNLOADER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15, 1911.

1,048,865. Patented Dec. 31, 1912. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

if if 1 BY yg W. H. PARKER.

MATCH UNLOADER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15, 1911. 1

1,048,865. Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\; Q W i Q} WITNESSES I/VVENTOR WILLIAM H. PARKER, 01 TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

MATCH-UNLOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 15, 1911.

Patented Dec. 31,1912.

swarm. 660,393.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Match-Unloaders; and I do hereb declare the following to be a full, clear, an exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an unloader for removing matches from a match carrier and depositing the matches in boxes.

The invention consists of a machine of this kind which is provided with means for conducting a movable match carrier through it, combined with means for engaging the matches as they pass through the unloader and causing them to'be picked or stripped from the carrier and allowed to fall by gravity into-t e trays.

The machinealso embodies a tray sup port which conducts and guides the trays of the boxes underneath the carrier to receive the matches picked from the carrier,

and means for propelling the match trays underneath the carrier, and preferabl in the same direction as the movement 0 the carrier. The boxes are moved by a propelling means which moves one of the trays, preferably one tray in each row, the tra s being arranged in rows side by side, t 1e propelled tray pushing the trays ahead of it, these trays eventually going down a runway to a roper receiving point where they are place into shooks.

The invention also provides a guide wh1ch is adapted to enter the tray that is being filled from each stripping or picking device, and automatically resting in the tray to aline the matches and adapted to ride over the end of the tray and drop automatically into the next succeeding tray.

The invention is also designed to provide a leveling device which evens the matches off on the top so that none of them project above the tra to interfere with the tray being placed 111 the shook.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawin s, in which-+- Figure 1 is a si e view of the machine with the unloader partly broken away to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of Fig. 1, being also partly broken away to show the guiding means for the match carrier. Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of the stripping or picking devices for removing the matches from the carrier.

The invention consists of side-frames 10 which support the guides 11 in which slide the match carrier 12 which is propelled by any means used in match making, the carrier being movable, the bars 12 being connected to form a chain, particularly as shown and described in my application for Letters Patent, filed July 31, 1911, Serial No. 641,631, and comprising match-holders 13, which match-holders are U-shaped and have notches 15 therein in which are seated the matches 16 having been placed therein in the process of manufacture and having been headed, are ready for their being deposited in the match trays. The U-shaped match-holders have these notches on their bottom edges, and thus the matches are held in one plane, and being held horizontall need but be picked or stripped from thelr holders and they will be ready to fall by gravity approximately alined. A transverse bar 17 extends across the machine from one side-frame to the other and holds a series of pickers or strippers 18 which are narrow at their forward ends 19 and have the cam-faces 20. As the carrier proceeds, the matches 16 are forced against the camface 20 of the strippers or pickers 18 and fall as shown in Fig. 1, the strippers extending, into the U-shaped part of the match-holder as shown in Fi 2 and enga ing the match-between its ends substantiall y near its center so that the match falls straight ornearly so.

A tray support 21, in the shape of a table, with side-pieces 22 forms a guide for the trays 23. In the drawings I show six series of rows of match-holders, and therefore six trays in a row, but it will be understood that the number is not limited. The end of the tray support 21 is provided with a run-way 24: toward which the trays are propelled in'the same direction as the match carrier and down which they proceed to any suitable receiving point. The table is provided with an opening 25 through which a wheel 26 projects which is provided with an abrasive face, being preferably provided with small pins 27, these pins being adapted to enter'the bottom of the tray 23 that hap pens to be over an opening 25, the tray 23 thus being forced forward and in its turn forcing the trays that precede it along toward the run-Way 24. Levers 28 swinging between the side-frames and having a roller 29 thereon, act, through the roller '29, to force the tray 23 over the pin wheel 26 so that it will be insured cont-act with the pins and will not ride upward.

The pin wheel 26 is mounted on a shaft 30 which, by means of the gear-wheels 31 and 32, is driven from the shaft 33 which in turn receives its motion from the gears 34 and 35, the gear 35 being on a shaft 36 provided with a sprocket 37 driven by a chain 38 from another sprocket 39 on the shaft 40. A worm-gear 41 on the shaft 40 is driven by a worm 42 on the driving shaft 43 which is in turn driven from any suitable source of power. Under the picking or stripping means in each tray is arranged a guide 44 which is made to drop by gravity, preferably swinging on a rod 45 which extends across the machine. The movement of the guide 44 downward is limited, but its movement upward is unlimited so that when the end of a tray engages the guide, the guide will slowly ride upward until the end of the tray passes, and will then fall over into the next tray when it is released by the edge of the succeeding tray, this guide acting to hold the matches alined and to insure their being evenly distributed along the box. A leveling plate 46 is so fastened that its bottom edge extends across at about the level of the top of the trays as shown in Fig. 1 so that no matches project above the top of the trays when they pass from the unloader.

The device is simply constructed, and its operation is assured onaccount of its simplicity, and it has no parts liable to get out of order.

masses Having thus described my, invention, what I claim is 1. A match unloader comprising guides. for a moving match carrier, a tray support, means for propelling trays along the tray support parallel with and under the carrier, means for picking matches from the carrier, the matches dropping by gravity into the trays, and a swinging guide, to drop into each tray as it is presented for filling, for alining the matches in the tray.

2. A match unloader comprising guides for a moving match carrier, a tray support for holding trays under the carrier, means for moving trays along the support and at a slower speed than the carrier, a picking means for dislodging the matches so that they drop in the trays, and a swinging guide dropping into each tray successively as it is filled to guide the matches and aline them.

3. A match unloader comprising guides for a moving match carrier consisting of U-shaped. match-holders transversely arranged, a transverse bar having fingers to project up into each U-shaped match-holder and having a cam face thereon for dislodging a match pressed against it by the movement of the match-holder, a tray support for supporting trays under the moving match-holder, means for moving the trays, a swinging guide adapted to drop intoeach tray as it 18 presented for filling for almmg matches in the tray, the swinging guide being raised by the end wall of the tray and a leveling plate engaging the top edges of the boxes adjacent to the guide.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of October 1911.

WILLIAM H. PARKER.

Witnesses MARION JoHNsoN, CHARLES J. TUCKER. 

